Taking ACTION when you don't feel like it
To make change in ones life, actually ACTING on what one desires is such an important concept. In my experience, it’s true that it does take courage, resilience, hope, and optimism.
I’ve recently found that I shouldn’t wait for my feelings to change before taking action, but rather that by taking the action that my feelings end up changing positively.
I was recently unmotivated to work out. I set a goal that first thing in the morning I was going to do a short 15 to 20 min hitt workout 4 days a week, while listening to fun music. Now that I’ve been doing it for a few weeks, it’s turned into a habit and I’m actually feeling really good about it.
Have you ever taken ACTION on something, despite not feeling totally ready/motivated? How did it work out for you?
@Frankie111
Updated to make response longer:
To make change in one’s life, actually ACTING on what one desires is such an important concept. In my experience, it’s true that it does take courage, resilience, hope, and optimism.
I’ve recently found that I shouldn’t wait for my feelings to change before taking action, but rather that by taking the action that my feelings end up changing positively. This realisation was a revelation to me.
I was recently unmotivated to work out. I set a goal that first thing in the morning I was going to do 15-20 min hitt workout 4 days a week, while listening to fun music. Now that I’ve been doing it for a few weeks, it’s turned into a habit and I’m feeling really great about it.
Through the process of doing my short workouts 4 days a week I also realised that it doesn’t need to be massive action that one take to derive a benefit. Instead of being extreme, it just needs to be consistent action. Consistent action leads to progress and progress leads to results.
Have you ever taken ACTION on something, despite not feeling totally ready or motivated to do so? How did it end up working out for you?
@Frankie111
Thank you so much for your post, Frankie! I really relate to what you shared. It’s true that motion creates emotion! When we’re feeling unmotivated because of our emotions, sticking to our schedule or goals can really help us find that spark again. Once we do, that sense of accomplishment feels so good, doesn’t it? I’ll be honest; I’ve been skipping my workouts more than I’d like lately🫣😁, and it’s not something I’m proud of. I’ve decided that starting Monday, I’m going to enrol in gym classes a few times a week, no matter how I’m feeling! Oh, yeah, I can make time for that!😄 Taking action towards my goals is going to help me feel so much better, which is something I truly look forward to.
There is a myth that it takes 21 days to create a healthy habit, and I know that listening to my emotions—like feeling tired or unmotivated—and the pressure of my thoughts, like wanting to stay home to study or finish a deadline, hasn’t been great for me.
Thanks again for your inspiring post!
@Frankie111
Sometimes just starting a task is the hardest part. Sometimes I just count ..3...2...1.. and go! Whatever happens happens, but at least I've gotten past the first hurdle.
@Frankie111 Hey, I appreciate your post and thanks for sharing your experiences with us. I agree with you, acting on one’s desires is essential to make a change in one’s life. I’m elated to know that although you were unmotivated to work out you still pushed forward, eventually feeling really great about it and even turning it into a habit. That’s amazing that you were able to do this through consistent action.
Indeed, I have taken action on something despite feeling low motivation at the time. When the feelings of low motivation occurred and I realized, I took a step back to examine the root cause. I discovered that I was having these feelings due to burnout, given the excessive work I had to do at the time. I took action on decreasing my feelings on low motivation by working on managing both important tasks and the time. I took to a chart to document everything needed to do and the time needed. I took action on each one of these tasks, ensuring that my time was managed and there was also room for self-care.
Quite quickly through taking action, I found that my levels of motivation were back up and I was able to function more productively.
@GentleHealingInitiative
Sorry to hear of the burn out, but glad to hear that you took action to deal with it. That's actually really commendable and interesting how you took action in that situation. It's interesting because you actually had to cut down on things, which is sometimes the opposite of what we think of when we think of ACTION. It's a good lesson about how doing less can result in more sometimes.
@Frankie111
I totally agree that taking action can spark positive change even when we don’t feel ready. I love how you set a specific goal for your workouts, that’s a smart approach! I’ve had a similar experience with journaling. I started even when I didn’t feel inspired and now it’s something I really look forward to.
@Frankie111 hey Frankie! Such a wonderful and realistic post. You're right often acting despite not feeling like it is important.
I've had to push through and do things when I didn't feel like it - majority of my life. And I felt like I can only keep going this way for so long. It feels like burnout is incoming xD So I really thought about the whole situation I'm in - realized I'm doing things that I don't even value, but what the society values. When I do things and feel energized by doing it - it means I'm being authentic and doing something that is in alignment with my values. I encourage everyone to spend more time on figuring out who they are and what they wanna do. Life doesn't have to be so hard, and doing things would actually be very pleasant!
@Frankie111
Hi Frankie. It is so impressive that you formed a habit of work out even when you lack motivation.
I am not doing so well on working out, but my family hopes that we can walk around together for a while everyday. This also become a habit for me now. I agree that actions are important. I hope I can be more perseverant and try more work out soon.
@Frankie111 Very insightful post! In the past, I had been very unmotivated to clean my kitchen (basic, I know, haha!), but I really pushed myself to clean every night even if I didn't feel like it. I found doing my nightly cleaning hard, but when I woke up the next day to my clean kitchen, my morning went much smoother! Now that I have done this for a while, it is a habit and more of an afterthought.
@Frankie111
can relate to that , After years of neglecting, making excuses and procrastinating, one fine day i forced myself to take action and hit the gym and it has been more than a year now and i feel proud of that decision and it has helped me regain some confidence and will power
@Frankie111
You're absolutely right—waiting for the "perfect" feeling or moment can sometimes be a trap that keeps us from making progress. Taking action, even when motivation is low, often kickstarts the momentum needed to create change. Your story about working out is such a great example of how action can lead to positive feelings and lasting habits.
For me, I had a similar experience with starting a journaling routine. I often felt too tired or uninspired to begin, but I committed to writing just three sentences every evening. At first, it felt like a chore, but as I kept at it, I started looking forward to that quiet reflection time. Over time, it became not just a habit but a tool I genuinely enjoy.
Question for You:
Have you ever surprised yourself by achieving something you thought you couldn’t, simply by taking that first step?
@Frankie111 Yes, I did it. One day, I wanted to try to do 90 minutes of rapid walking. I never did it until one day. That day, I just do it and even if it was difficult, it became an habit and I like to do exercise every day. I did that even if I was not totally ready to do it.
